SUCCESSFUL THROUGH CLEARING

While studying for a BTec in IT at Newham College, east London, Gabriel Cabrera didn't have strong feelings about university. "My classmates encouraged me to apply, but I had no idea what to study," he explains. "So I went for general computing courses." He applied to five universities, including City, Thames Valley, Middlesex and Greenwich, and was offered a place at Greenwich. "I went for an open day and liked the campus, but realised the course wasn't for me. I realised I most enjoyed business modules at college, things like e-commerce, and that's what I wanted to study." So Cabrera, now 21, turned down his offer, and put his faith in Clearing. "It was really scary," he admits. "I was worried about not getting another place, especially when I heard about thousands of people missing out." Cabrera found a course at Greenwich – information technology management for business – on Clearing, and had a phone interview. "The tutor asked about my results, and what I liked about the course. I was praying 'please accept me!'. When she did, I was so happy." A year on, Cabrera says student life is "amazing" and advises those embarking on Clearing: "Go for something you're passionate about, and it will shine through."

GET A JOB INSTEAD

"All of my friends from college went to university, but my Ucas application was just a back-up in case my job interviews didn't work out," says Danielle Goddard, 21. "I was keen for a career as an accountant, so I applied to PwC's Headstart course for school-leavers." In September 2009, Goddard started at the accountancy giant's Hull office. "I thought there was no point going to uni if I could start my Acca [accountancy] qualification straight away while getting experience and earning a salary. I started on £14,000 and am now on £21,500. I've been treated exactly the same as the graduate joiners. I have no regrets. I worried that I'd miss out on the social side, but work hosts loads of social events, and I've made a lot of friends."

OPEN UNIVERSITY

When James Lockwood finished his A-levels in maths, physics and design, he took a gap year to work and travel, and secured a job as a trainee designer working on architectural drawings. "The job included training and a day-release scheme, and the company offered to sponsor me for an HNC [Higher National Certificate] at a local college," Lockwood, now 25, explains. At the time, his mum was studying for a history of art degree with the Open University, and Lockwood asked if he could be sponsored through an OU degree himself. "They were happy for me to do so as long as I worked hard and got good results." Lockwood's employer paid for his course and gave him a study day each week. "I was a bit sceptical when I started, thinking it might not be as academically demanding as a traditional university, but was proven wrong very quickly." Four years on, he has just graduated with a degree in engineering. "Distance working is hard and requires determination. But working at the same time gave me a broader knowledge and life experience that can't be obtained through study alone."

ALTERNATIVE QUALIFICATIONS

"I didn't know what career I wanted to do, so I decided against going to sixth form," says Rachel Gifford, 21. She enrolled on an NVQ beauty therapy course but, after a year, decided against that career. After researching other options, Gifford grew interested in the travel industry and secured a job as sales and marketing administrator at transport group Condor Ferries. "To boost my knowledge, I enrolled on a customer services apprenticeship scheme with Kingston Maurward College, Dorchester," she explains. After completing further NVQs, Gifford enrolled on an apprenticeship scheme. "I then completed a professional certificate in marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, which led to a promotion to marketing executive. This way I could earn money and build my experience and knowledge without getting into debt. If you don't get the results you were expecting, don't panic. I think uni is overrated. There are other ways to get into the career you want."

GAP YEAR

Victoria Parr was disappointed by her university offers, so decided to take a gap year to reconsider her choices. Parr, 23, from Bognor Regis, explains: "My predicted grades were rubbish as I failed all but one of my AS-levels, and I'd applied for nursing, but my options weren't great. So when I got my A-levels, I decided to take a gap year to get more experience in social care. I Googled 'free gap years and social care' and found that Community Service Volunteers [CSV] offered volunteering in the UK. I applied and was placed working with disabled children and their families or carers.

"One of my biggest challenges was getting over my shyness so that I could meet more people. Now I'm more confident. Also, I was living away from home without the pressures of uni life, so learned more life skills like improving my cooking." Working with social workers also helped Parr to work out her career ambition: to be a social worker.

"It was a mixture of nursing, social work and teaching. But you have to have a degree for it, so I reapplied to university."

Last summer, Parr graduated in social care from the University of Chichester.

• CSV gives young people the opportunity to work on projects supporting homeless, socially excluded, disabled or elderly people. www.csv.org.uk